


Para Siempre

by QueenieLacy



Category: Mindhunter (TV 2017)
Genre: Abduction, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute Kids, Foster Care, Girl Dads, Implied/Referenced Murder, M/M, Minor Character Death, Modern Era, fluffy goodness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26294548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenieLacy/pseuds/QueenieLacy
Summary: A modern day AU that follows Bill and Holden as they expand their family, and Brian gets the sibling he’s wanted for a while.
Relationships: Holden Ford/Bill Tench
Kudos: 25





	Para Siempre

It started with a case. Apparently, it was a prerequisite for all of their major life events. Everything major in their lives started with a case. 

A request from nearby Alexandria came in on a cold November morning pleading for help with their latest case. A man was abducting young women and killing them. The weird thing was that he’s abducting them from public places during the day time. 

“He likes the thrill of the abduction.” Holden reasoned. “It’s more so about that than the murder.”

“He murders them out of necessity.” Bill added. “If he lets them go, he knows he’ll be caught in no time.”

“It’s interesting because he crosses racial lines and he doesn’t have a particular body type he’s going after.” Wendy said as she stood up to go over to the cork board. “Which lends credence to the theory that it’s all about the abduction.”

Bill nodded. “The person, the place, the time. None of it matters. He just wants to pull off the perfect abduction.” 

“It’s an accomplishment for him.” Holden put down the manilla file to look at the pictures on the corkboard. “It makes him feel like he’s done something with his life.”

“So he’s a loser?” Bill offered. “He probably has a menial job, a menial life.”

“But he believes he can do more, that he deserves more than what life has given him.” Holden finished Bill’s thought. “So he’s taking what he wants. He’s no longer waiting on life to give him anything, so he kidnaps a girl. The first girl confirmed that he could do more than work at his menial job. He could really take what he wanted.”

“Now whenever he spots a woman that he likes, he just snatches her up.” Bill sighed.

Before they could add anything else, the phone in the conference room rang. “Yeah.” Bill answered. 

“Sorry to interrupt but the Alexandria police called, they have another missing woman.”

Bill tossed his pen onto the table. “Damn.”

“Let’s get to Alexandria.” Holden grabbed his suit jacket and started out of the conference room. 

Bill and Holden gathered up their things and made their way out of the office. “I’ll call Ms. Mary about Brian.” Ms. Mary was their sixty-five year old neighbor that acted like she was forty-five. With all of her kids out of the house and her husband long deceased, she enjoyed watching the kids in the neighborhood. She doesn’t even ask for money. She says all of the activity keeps her young. 

“She’s going to drink all of my bourbon.” Bill complained. 

Holden scoffed. “We ran out of coke last night, so your bourbon may be safe.” 

Unlike the women of Alexandria.”

* * *

About an hour later, the FBI agents were walking into the Alexandria Police Department. The Chief of police met them as soon as they walked through the door. Handshakes were quickly exchanged before moving further into the station. 

“Thank you for getting down here so quickly.” The Chief said as he led Holden and Bill through his police station. “Another one taken from the parking lot of a mall. Ivelisse Valeria Colón Ortíz, twenty-six. No security camera footage but this time, he left a witness.” 

“A witness?” Holden questioned. “He’s devolving? Maybe we can get a good enough description for a sketch.”

“I doubt it.” The Chief came to a stop outside of a room, putting his hand on the door handle. “Your witness is a three year old girl, the victim’s daughter, Cassandra.” 

“Jesus…” Bill exclaimed. He already needed a smoke.

“She hasn’t said a word since she’s been here. I got a child psychologist and a social worker in there but…” He shrugged. 

Holden sighed. This child had just experienced more trauma than most people would ever face in their whole lives, and they were about to add to it. “I hate to do this, but we have to talk to her.” They had to try to get something from her.

“I figured.”

“Have you called the father? We’ll need him to sit in on the interview since she’s a minor.” Bill explained and the chief shook his head. 

“The father passed away about a year ago in a car accident. An eighteen wheeler hit a patch of black ice and plowed straight into him.” He explained and both Bill and Holden cringed. 

“I’ve been trying to find family, but luck isn’t really on my side. The mom was born in Puerto Rico. I’m sure any family they have is on the island.” The chief explained. 

“It would take hours for them to get here.” Bill reasoned, precious time they couldn’t afford to lose.

“The social worker can act as a guardian.” Holden offered. 

The Chief nodded and then opened the door. He let Bill and Holden go in first before following. The men saw the small brown-skinned girl sitting on a couch between a man and a woman. She was looking down at her lap playing with her plastic headband, her black curls fell in front of her face, and her little legs swung back and forth. Holden noticed her white dress with blue flowers was a bit dirty on her left side, so was the white sweater she was wearing.

“Cassandra.” The Chief spoke softly to the little girl. “Two of my friends have come to help find your mama. They need your help. Can you talk to them?”

“We’d really like to get to know you and your mama.” Holden added. “We know she loved you and wanted you to be safe.”

“We just want to ask some questions. You don't know how to answer if you don’t want to. We can get some paper and crayons to color instead.” Bill added. Having a child that was once non-verbal taught Bill how to negotiate with silent children. 

Cassandra finally looked away from her lap and up at the three men. Her eyes darted between them before sliding off the couch. She ran over to Bill and threw her small arms around his right leg. Bill, following his instincts, leaned down to place his hands on her waist and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around Bill’s neck and snuggled into him. “Estoy Asustada…” Cassandra whispered but Holden still heard her. Bill didn’t understand, so he just hugged her tight to comfort her. 

“It’s going to be okay, baby girl.” 

It took a few minutes to clear an interview room and get it ready for a small child. The Chief sent a rookie cop down the street to purchase crayons and markers. Holden found a few empty notebooks and took them into the interview room. 

Cassandra wouldn’t leave Bill’s side even insisting on sitting in the FBI agents lap during the interview. The rookie cop finally came back with the coloring tools, so Holden and Bill began the interview. The social worker sat off in the corner, observing and taking notes.

“Can I call you Cassie?” Holden asked and the little girl nodded as she picked up a crayon. “You look very pretty Cassie. You’re all dressed up with a pretty headband. Did you and mommy do something special today?”

“We took pictures today.” Cassie answered, picking up a crayon and starting to color.

“Pictures? That’s exciting. You and Mommy took pictures?” Holden asked and she nodded. “Did mommy match you? Did she wear a blue and white dress too?” Cassie nodded.

“But her dress had no flowers. It had a blue belt. Mommy said it hides her belly because she was bl-b-boated-boating...I think.” Cassie mentioned. “We had pizza after.”

“I love pizza.” Bill grabbed one of her crayons and started to scribble alongside her. “What type of pizza did you eat? My favorite is sausage.”

“Cheese is the best.” Cassie answered.

“When you were eating, did you see anyone strange? Looking at you and mommy?” Bill asked and Cassie shook her head. He hadn’t expected her to, kids weren’t that observant, but he had to ask.

“After pizza, where did you two go?” Holden asked.

“Salimos.” She answered and both men shared a look of confusion.

“They went outside.” The social worker translated for them. “My mom is Cuban so…” He explained. Bill and Holden thanked him before turning back to Cassie.

“Were you walking to your mommy’s car?” Bill asked.

“Mommy was walking and holding me.” Cassandra explained. “...I play sleepy so I don’t have to walk.” She looked sheepishly between the two men.

“It’s okay. I used to do the same thing.” Holden smiled. “Walking is a lot of work.” He added and Cassie nodded. “When you and mommy started walking to your car, can you tell me what happened next?” Holden asked as gently as possible. 

“An ice cream truck.” Cassie grabbed another crayon. “Then...” Cassie threw her arms across her body. “The door opened and hands grabbed mommy. Mommy dropped me and told me to run, but I said no. I grabbed on to mommy’s leg to pull her, but he pulled really hard. I fell…” Cassie stopped coloring and just looked down at the paper. “I couldn’t help mommy.”

“No, sweetheart, you’re helping her now.” Holden reached over to take Cassie’s hand, now understanding why the girl was a little dirty. She fought for her mom. The strength of this young girl.

“And you’re doing great, Cassie.” Bill added, pressing a kiss to the top of her curls. 

They asked her a few more questions before ending the interview. They decided to go back and watch some of the security footage from the other abductions. Cassie was still attached to Bill. The girl had nodded off against his broad shoulder, drooling a bit on his shirt. 

“An ice cream truck in October…” Holden said to no one in particular, just thinking out loud as he looked through security camera footage. 

“Hey, would that look like an ice cream truck to a three year old?” Bill whispered after going through footage. Holden looked over his shoulder and saw the white van. It was more of a box shape than the standard round van shape and the windows on the sides could easily lead someone to believe this once was an ice cream truck. 

“Can you get a plate?” Holden whispered and Bill shook his head.

“Not on this video.” Bill whispered back. Cassie started to mumble in her sleep so Bill shushed her, rocking her a little until she fell back asleep. He then looked over to find Holden holding his phone up. “Did you just take a picture of me?” 

“No, I’m professional.” Holden shook his head. “I’m working, of course.”

“Of course.” Bill mimicked his voice before going back to the footage. 

It took some time but they finally got a plate off the van. It came back to a gentleman that had been dead for about six years. This man did have an ice cream business, a shop and a truck. When checking his family, they learned that he only had daughters and they couldn’t find any male nephews or close male cousins. 

Holden decided to reach out to the oldest daughter and ask her about the truck. She explained that after her father died, they sold the truck to one of her father’s long time employees. His name was Michael Rossi. They looked into his background and they found that he fit the profile perfectly. Holden and Bill took one look at his photo and knew he was their guy. 

Bill couldn’t go out with the police to make the collar because Cassie wouldn’t let him go, so Holden went alone. They found Michael at a home that was rather isolated from the other farms and homes around him. Instead of a knock and talk, the SWAT team easily knocked down his wooden door and entered the home. They found Michael in the basement of the home with Ivelisse. 

Unfortunately, Ivelisse was already dead. Holden sighed as he looked at the woman on the basement floor, her blue and white dress stained with blood. The bodies normally didn’t bother Holden, but he felt a lump form in his throat as he thought about Cassie and how she lost her mother. He swallowed hard and quickly left the basement, silently promising to Ivelisse that Cassie would be taken care of.

Holden arrived back at the police station and headed for the social worker to tell her about Ivelisse’s death. He caught Bill’s eyes as he walked over to the social worker. There was hope and promise in his eyes that was quickly wiped away when Holden shook his head. 

The social worker was the one that explained to Cassie that her mother wouldn’t be coming back. Cassie went silent, looking down at her lap as tears rolled down her face. Holden and Bill’s heart broke for her. The social worker went on to explain that Cassie would be coming with her. Cassie refused, as if she really had a choice. The social worker attempted to explain and reason with the three year old, but Cassie crossed her arms and shook her head while the woman spoke, tears still streaming down her face.

“Bill…” Holden tilted his head toward the door and he nodded. Bill explained to Cassie that he needed to have an adult conversation with Holden, and he would be in the doorway so she could see him. Cassie started to fuss at him, but Bill stood up and placed her in his chair. She looked betrayed by the action, her little mouth open in shock when Bill put her down. 

Holden and Bill went over to the doorway to talk away from the social worker and any other nosey listeners. “I already know what you’re going to say.”

“Why don’t we take her home?” Holden asked. “She’s obviously imprinted on you.”

“Imprinted?” Bill interrupted. “What is Cassie? A duck?” Holden narrowed his eyes at his husband before continuing with his previous thought. “Losing her mother and you on the same day would be too much trauma for her to handle.” 

Bill sighed as he looked at his husband. “And where will she sleep?” Bill asked. “We don’t have a bed for her. We have no girl clothes. Do you know how to do hair? Because I don’t. Jesus, Holden, I don’t know what girls like. We aren’t prepared to be girl dads.”

“Bill, it's 2020. Girls can like boy things and can wear boy clothes.” Bill narrowed his eyes at his husband while Holden shrugged. 

“I can call Ms. Mary and ask her to get a few things.” Holden reasoned. “And she can sleep in our bed with you. I can sleep on the pull-out couch, and don’t say you’ll join me on the couch. Your back can’t handle that. We can go to the store tomorrow and get what we need.”

“And what about Brian?” Bill wondered. “How is he going to feel about this? Another kid in his space?” 

Holden sighed. “I’ll talk to Brian, but I think he’ll be more than okay with it.” Holden pulled out his phone to video call Brian. “You know he’s been asking for a sibling for a while now.”

Bill took a moment to think before giving in. “Okay, I’ll tell the social worker.” Bill started. “But you know this is just a foster situation. It’s temporary.”

Holden nodded. “Of course.” He said and watched Bill walk back into the room. Holden turned away and made the call to Brian. He smiled wide when Brian’s face popped up on the phone. Holden explained that they were bringing a little girl home because she had no other family and needed their help until her family could care for her.

“So...I’m getting a sister?” Brian asked and Holden shook his head. 

“No, I didn’t say that.” Holden quickly tried to explain but Brian was no longer paying attention.

“Ms. Mary! Ms. Mary! I’m getting a baby sister!” Brian yelled.

“A sister! How wonderful! We need more feminine energy in this house.” Ms. Mary responded and soon appeared behind Brian. Holden explained what was happening to Ms. Mary and she understood. She said she would go to the store and get some things before they came back. Holden thanked her and hung up the phone.

Holden walked back into the room and found Cassie on Bill’s lap. Holden knelt down to Cassie’s eye level. “Are you ready to go home with us, sweetie?” He asked. Instead of answering, Cassie jumped off Bill’s lap to hug Holden. The younger man was surprised but quickly wrapped his arms around her for a hug. 

“Looks like you’ve taken my place.” Bill scoffed and Holden gave him a smug smile.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look for you, Bill.”

The social worker, they learned his name was Nicholas, was able to provide them with a carseat after they finished all of the paperwork. They strapped their girl in the seat and set out on the hour long drive home. Bill checked the rearview mirror every few seconds, monitoring a sleeping Cassie. Holden would look over his shoulder to check on her and then tried to pretend he wasn’t that worried when Bill made fun of him. 

The trio pulled into the driveway, parking the car. “We’re home.” Holden announced, waking up a sleepy Cassandra.

“La casa.” She slurred, struggling to keep her eyes open. 

Holden got Cassie out of her car seat and carried her into the house, following behind Bill. He walked in to find Brian and Ms. Mary standing in the doorway to greet them. “Can I see her?” Brian asked, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. 

“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Holden reached out and ruffled Brian’s hair. “Cassie, this is Brian.” Holden introduced the two children.

“I’m your big brother!” Brian exclaimed.

“Brother?” Cassie questioned and Brian nodded. She wiggled in Holden’s arms and asked to be put down. Holden carefully placed Cassie on her feet, ensuring the sleepy girl was steady, before standing up again. 

Cassie walked over to Brian but stopped short of being in his space. Brian held out his hand for her. “Let me show you the house.” He said and Cassie nodded, taking Brian’s hand and following him around the house.

“Oh, how adorable.” Ms. Mary cooed as she watched Brian take Cassie down the hall. “I brought some things over for Ms. Cassie.”

“Oh, yes, how much do I owe you.” Holden started to pull out his wallet but she stopped him. 

“Oh honey, nothing. Think of it as a new baby gift.” Mary explained, smiling at the two parents.

“I don’t know if Holden told you, but this is just a temporary thing.” Bill explained. “A foster situation.” He added and Ms. Mary nodded. 

“Oh, okay.” Ms. Mary said as he headed toward the door. “Temporary. Right.” She winked. 

“No, I’m serious.” Bill called out before she could leave. “This is temporary.”

* * *

Holden stopped reading and looked up from his book when he heard the screams and giggles of two small children, followed by his husband’s deep gravelly voice. He smiled to himself as he picked out the distinct scream of Cassie and Brian’s laughter. It had been a month since the Alexandria case, a month since Cassie came to live with them, and the transition into this new normal was smoother than initially expected. 

After running around town to get everything they needed for Cassie, and converting their office into Cassie’s bedroom, everything slowed down and they easily fell into a routine. Since Cassie was too young for school, she would stay with Ms. Mary while they worked and Brian was at school. Bill had a hard time going back to work and leaving Cassie alone. 

_ “What if she needs me?” _

_ “Bill, she’s with Mary. Mary is more than capable.” _

_ “Yes. but Mary isn’t me.” _

After returning home, they ate dinner together and Brian would finish any homework he had. The two children would play with one another while Holden and Brian watched television or finished any paperwork they brought home. The weekends were filled with childlike giggles and all-day playtime with Cassie and Brian. 

Holden heard a loud grunt and then saw Bill come around the corner. Brian was slung over his shoulder while Cassie was wrapped around his right leg. The kids had fake swords made out of empty paper towel rolls and blankets tied around their necks. Holden laughed when Bill overdramatically fell on to the floor, groaning with every movement.

“He’s losing power! Keep going!” Brian yelled and Cassie moved to jump on Bill’s back.

“Are you a dragon?” Holden asked and Bill scoffed.

“What is this? 1976? I’m a robot.” Bill answered. 

“Pops! Don’t talk to him! You’re giving him energy!” Brian explained.

Holden gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet.” 

“You’re a traitor.” Bill smirked and went back to wrestling with the kids. 

Holden was able to enjoy the sight for a few seconds more, quickly snapping a picture of the scene, before the doorbell rang. He was confused by the intrusion because he wasn’t expecting anyone. The only person that would drop by unannounced was Wendy, and she only did that when she had breaking news about work. 

Holden moved off the couch, stepping over Bill and the kids, and made his way to the front door. He slowly opened the door, poking his head out of the open side. He was surprised to see the social worker from Alexandria. “Oh, hi.” Holden opened the door all of the way. “This is a surprise.”

Nick nodded. “I know this is a surprise, but I felt that it was important to update you on Cassie’s case as soon as possible. Can I come in?”

“Yes, of course.” Holden stepped out of the way and motioned for the social worker to come in. Once inside, Holden closed the door and led him to the living room. Bill was now on his back. Cassie was across his chest while Brian was holding Bill’s legs. Holden cleared his throat. “Bill, we have a visitor.”

Bill looked over at Holden. His vision was upside down but he could clearly make out the face of the social worker standing next to his husband. “Oh.” Bill turned back to the kids. “Alright, let me up. I have to speak with the grown-ups.” Bill gently untangled himself from the kids and stood to his feet. He straightened out his clothes before approaching the social worker. “Hi, nice to see you again.” Bill shook his hand. 

“We can talk in the dining room.” Holden offered and pointed toward the room. Bill agreed and led their guest to the dining room.

“Are you two okay alone?” Holden asked and Brian scoffed.

“I’m not a baby.” Brian answered.

“Yeah, no babies.” Cassie added. 

Holden smiled and left the kids in the living room to join the adults. He sat next to Bill and across from Nick. 

“I managed to get ahold of Cassie’s grandmother, Ivelisse’s mother.”

“Oh.” Holden and Bill said at the same time. 

“She’s in Puerto Rico.” He added. “I asked her about custody, but she explained that she couldn’t take care of her. Ivelisse was sending money to her because she couldn’t work due to a disability. Without that income, she would be unable to care for her. She agreed with us that Cassie would be better off with another family.”

“So, what does this mean for us?” Bill questioned.

“We’ll be officially putting Cassie up for adoption.” Nick smiled. “You’ll still be her foster parents, and you’ll be getting a larger stipend from the state to care for her. When adoption papers are filed for Cassie, we’ll use your home as a meeting point for her future parents since she’ll be most comfortable in this space. We don’t just drop the child off on their doorstep anymore. We schedule meetings and outings. There is a process. A feeling-out period if you will. It’s important for children, especially at Cassie’s age, to be eased into the adoption process. She’s also been exposed to a major trauma, so we don’t want to take her too fast through the process….” The social worker went on and each man nodded in agreement and understanding with everything the social worker said. While Holden remained focused, Bill started to slowly tune out of the conversation, thinking about Cassie being taken away from them. It wasn’t long before Holden nudged his arm, bringing him out of his thoughts, and told him to sign some papers.

* * *

Holden woke up at 1 AM when his mind noticed there had been a major lack of snoring from his partner. He blindly reached out for his husband, but was met with the cool mattress inside of a warm body. Holden’s eyes opened to confirm what he felt: Bill was no longer in bed. Holden sat up and looked around the room. The light in their master bathroom was off, so he swung his legs off the bed and started to look for Bill. 

He looked in Brian’s room and then Cassie’s, but didn’t find him in either place. Holden was about to go to the kitchen when he noticed the back patio door was slightly ajar. He turned away from the kitchen and walked over to the door, pushing it open just enough to get his body through. Holden found Bill sitting on one of the patio chairs, in just his shorts and tank top, smoking a cigarette and looking up at the night sky. 

Holden silently closed the distance between them and took a seat on Bill’s lap. Bill sat back to accommodate his husband as Holden slipped his arm around Bill’s shoulders. Bill wrapped one arm around Holden’s waist and used his other hand to take the cigarette from his lips, blowing the smoke from his mouth.

“I don’t want some fucking strangers in my house.” Bill stated, referring to their earlier conversation with the social worker. “Sitting on my couch, eating my food...observing and whatever else in that bullshit process he was walking about.”

Holden hummed in agreement. “It does seem strange.”

Bill took another drag of his cigarette before speaking again. “Like Cassie is some fish in a goddamn tank.” Bill scoffed. “And you know her new parents are going to be some rich white couple, and they’re not going to teach her about her Latin heritage like you have been.” Holden bought books about the history of Puerto Rico and age appropriate books for spanish learners. “They’re not going to know how to deal with her trauma or how to comfort her when she has bad dreams or when she’s having a bad day.”

“I guess that’s where we come in, to give them...advice?” Holden suggested and Bill scoffed. 

“Advice? No amount of advice will prepare them to be good parents to Cassie.” Bill reasoned. “They’re not going to know that Cassie likes her hair parted on the left. They’re going to force her to wear pink even though she prefers purple. They’re going to give her bland vegetables not knowing that if you put a bit of pepper and garlic powder on them, she’ll eat them. They're gonna make her do traditionally girly things, but she likes to help me tinker in the garage. Brian doesn’t even like that.”

“Brian and Cassie are already so attached to one another. I caught Brian reading one of the Spanish textbooks.” Holden brought up when Bill mentioned Brian.

“Well...they’re brother and sister.” Bill tossed his finished cigarette on the ground. “They’re our son and daughter. They’re family. They should be close.”

“Bill.”

“Hm.”

“We should adopt Cassie.” Holden offered. The suggestion hung in the air like a thick cloud of smoke from one of Bill’s cigarettes, before it dissipated. 

“...we should ask her.” Bill looked up at Holden. “What if she doesn’t want to be here? With us?”

“It’s my job to be anxiety-ridden. You’re the quiet, confident one.” Holden pressed a kiss to Bill’s forehead. “Don’t try to steal my role. I finally have all of the lines memorized.” Holden joked.

“I’ve never been confident about parenthood. You remember how I was with Brian.” Bill sighed, wishing he had another cigarette. 

“Who did Cassie run to at the police station? Who did she open up for?” Holden asked.

“Me.”

“Exactly, you. She watched a strange man take her mother and yet she trusted you, a strange man, to help her and keep her safe.” Holden explained. “I can’t speak for me and Brian, but Cassie definitely wants to be here with you.” Holden wrapped his other hand around Bill to hug him, giving him a squeeze. “So should I call Nick when the sun comes up?”

Bill nodded. “Yeah. I’m not giving my baby girl up.”

A few hours later, the family was gathered in the living room along with Nick. Cassie was sitting next to Brian on the couch while Holden and Bill kneeled down in front of them, so they were eye level. 

“Are we in trouble?” Brian asked. “Because we only had two cookies, I swear.” Cassie quickly nodded in agreement.

Holden chuckled. “No, silly.” He ruffled Brian’s hair. “But we do need to have a serious talk.” He explained. “You remember when we brought Cassie home?” Holden spoke to Brian and he nodded. “And we said that Cassie was only staying with us for a little while.”

“Yeah.” Brian answered sadly. 

“Well…” Bill jumped in. “We’d like Cassie to stay here forever...but only if she wants to.”

Cassie and Brian gasped at the same time, they shared a brief look before Cassie turned her head to look at Bill. “Forever?” She questioned, a bit skeptical of his words.

“Para siempre.” Holden answered.

Cassie smiled brightly and shuffled off of the couch to launch her tiny frame at Bill. He easily caught her, and hugged her to his chest. Bill cleared his throat and blinked rapidly because he refused to cry, especially not in front of the social worker. He didn’t want to be deemed unfit to be her father before he even signed the paperwork. “Para siempre, daddy.” Cassie’s muffled voice rang out as she pressed her face to Bill’s neck.

“Yeah.” Bill sniffled, letting one tear fall down his cheek. “Para siempre, baby.”


End file.
